Nvidia is collaborating with German energy firm PreussenElektra GmbH (PEL) to explore converting old nuclear power plants into AI data centers. In an official announcement on October 21st, the U.S. chipmaker and the German firm entered a preliminary partnership to assess whether the latter's decommissioned nuclear power plant sites in Germany can be converted into high-performance AI data centers. The plan does not involve using nuclear power to power any future data centers. Instead, the project is focused on leveraging the existing power, water, and other infrastructure already present at the sites.
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“Our former power plant sites have valuable industrial infrastructure and offer opportunities for new, future-oriented uses. Together with NVIDIA, we intend to conduct a sound assessment of whether and how these conditions can be leveraged for AI factories. In doing so, we are combining the responsible reuse of our sites with new economic opportunities for the regions,” says Guido Knott, Chairman of PEL’s Management Board.
The open-ended exploration will assess existing energy grid links, available land, and industrial infrastructure at the former nuclear sites to see if they meet the strict operational requirements of “AI factories.”
The move aims to find alternatives to building massive data centers from scratch amid the unprecedented AI infrastructure buildout. New data centers require well-located land, industrial-zone approvals, proximity to water infrastructure for cooling, and high-voltage grid connections, things nuclear plants already have.
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